Tehran and Tabriz (2024)

Jour 1

Welcome to Iran! Transfer to the hotel. In the afternoon (variable schedule based on arrival flights), we will begin the visit to TEHRAN, the capital of the country, a modern city with almost ten million inhabitants. We enter the Tajrish Bazar, a small and active bazaar full of activity and life. Inside we visit the Imamzadeh Saleh Sanctuary, one of the most popular Shiite shrines in Iran, magnificent blue architecture, dedicated to a descendant of the prophet. Tehran is on the slope of the Alborz Mountain range, some peaks exceed 5000 meters, and at its foot - on the edge of Tehran - is DARBAND VILLAGE, with its mountain atmosphere, its waterfalls, its green paths, its numerous Tea houses and its restaurants. Dinner included.Note: If the arrival time of your flight is after 5 p.m., you will not be able to attend the activities planned for this day.

Jour 2

We include a visit (with guide and tickets included) to the great metropolis. We begin by going to the 437 meters high MILAD TOWER, its views are impressive (if it´s a foggy day with low visibility, instead of the Milad Tower we will go to the Azadi Tower). We visit the National Museum, the largest historical and archaeological museum in the country, where we can learn more about this land, the cradle of civilizations. Afterwards, we visit the Golestan Palace, declared a world heritage site by UNESCO, a site of palaces and gardens which construction began in the 16th century. Lunch included. In the afternoon, we will visit the National Jewelry Museum, property of the central bank, an amazing collection of precious stones and metals, highlighting the “peacock throne” and the “earth globe”. Free time; we will drop you off in the Grand Bazaar area, with its many covered streets, alleys and hundreds of shops.Note: Sometimes the jewelry museum is not open, in that case, we would visit the carpet museum that shows Persian carpets, some from the 16th century.

Jour 3

Free time in Tehran until transfer to the airport for a flight to Tabriz (included). Schedules are subject to frequent modification so you will be informed at the time of the booking. Arrival in TABRIZ after a little over an hour´s flight and transfer to the hotel. Our guide will normally arrive in the middle of the afternoon. We are in the most important city of eastern Iran, capital of the region of Eastern Azerbaijan, located in a fertile valley. Given its location, Tabriz has historically been an important crossroads of cultures and has been inhabited by people from all over the Middle East (Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Kurds, Persians, Turks, Arabs, etc.). Today, its population is mostly Azeri-speaking. In the evening, we will walk through El-Goli Park, a pleasant park with a large lagoon in the center surrounded by small restaurants. Dinner included.

Jour 4

We visit TABRIZ, a city with just over one and a half million inhabitants. We will visit the blue mosque, built in the 15th century but badly damaged in an earthquake; we will visit the Azerbaijan museum where we will learn about its collections from different periods. We will also pass in front of the mausoleum of the poets, where we learn about the rich cultural heritage in poetry that Iran and Arg-e-Alishah have - remains of the great fortress and walls that the city had. At the end of the morning we will leave the city, a little less than an hour away KANDOVAN, a very picturesque mountain town, for more than 800 years its inhabitants have resided in troglodyte homes, it reminds us of the Cappadocia region in Turkey. Lunch included. In the afternoon we return to TABRIZ, you will have plenty of free time to visit the BAZAAR, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the largest covered bazaar in the world, important for centuries because it is located on the Silk Road (cited by Marco Polo and Ibn Batuta), the carpet area stands out.

Jour 5

Today we include a flight to TEHRAN; Schedules are subject to frequent modifications and both the time of your transfer and your flight will be informed at the time of the booking (at the time of preparation of this itinerary, the flight is scheduled to depart at noon). Arrival at Tehran airport.